c 

B 

,  »WL 


REPORT 

f 

OF  THE 


COMMITTEE  OE  THE  TRUSTEES 

OF 

DARTMOUTH  COLLEGE, 


ON  THE  RECENT  INVESTIGATION  IN  REFERENCE  TO 
THAT  INSTITUTION ;  AND  ALSO 


*  REPORT  OF  A  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  TRUSTEES 

IN  REFERENCE  TO  THE 


CHANDLER  SCIENTIFIC  DEPARTMENT 


CONNECTED  WITH  THE  COLLEGE. 


UNANIMOUSLY  ADOPTED  BY  THE  BOARD. 


CONCORD: 

PRINTED  BY  THE  REPUBLICAN  PRESS  ASSOCIATION. 


TUBtlSRAHY 
OF  TUP 


REPORT. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees,  held  in  Concord, 
April  7,  1 88 1,  a  memorial  signed  by  thirty-one  of  the  alum¬ 
ni  of  Dartmouth  college,  resident  in  the  city  of  New  York 
and  that  vicinity,  was  presented.  The  memorial  was  as 
follows : 

To  the  Honorable  Board  of  Trustees  of  Dartmouth  College: 

Whereas,  The  alumni  of  Dartmouth  college  have  heard 
for  some  time  past  disquieting  rumors  concerning  the  state 
of  affairs  in  the  college,  tending  to  impair  the  natural  in¬ 
crease  and  growth  of  the  college,  to  alienate  the  interest  of 
the  alumni  whose  cooperation  and  assistance  are  so  needful, 
and  to  reflect  upon  the  management  of  the  present  incum¬ 
bent  of  the  presidential  chair, — 

Therefore,  The  said  alumni  would  respectfully  request 
the  honorable  board  of  trustees  to  appoint  from  their  own 
number  a  committee,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  investigate 
thoroughly  the  said  state  of  affairs,  in  order  that  errors  of 
management,  if  there  are  any,  may  be  corrected  by  the 
adoption  of  a  new  policy,  or  that  the  present  executive  may 
be  vindicated  and  strengthened  ; — in  either  case,  that  thus  an 
end  may  be  put  to  the  injurious  rumors,  harmony  in  admin¬ 
istration  may  be  attained,  hindrances  to  growth  may  be 
removed,  and  the  interest  and  aid  of  the  alumni  again 
secured.  And  they  would  further  suggest,  that  said  com¬ 
mittee  report  at  as  early  a  day  as  practicable,  in  order  that 
the  ends  above  specified  may  be  attained  with  as  little  de¬ 
lay  as  possible. 


4 


The  board,  at  the  request  of  the  president,  then  voted  to 
appoint  an  investigating  committee ;  and  the  three  senior 
members  of  the  board  were  appointed,  viz.,  Judge  Nesmith, 
Dr.  Spalding,  and  Dr.  Quint,  to  whom  the  whole  subject 
was  referred.  The  undersigned,  being  said  committee,  now 
present  their  report. 

The  members  of  the  committee  immediately  held  repeat¬ 
ed  conferences  with  each  other.  The  gravity  of  a  situation, 
in  which  a  large  portion  of  influential  graduates  in  a  great 
city  had  reported  such  unpleasant  convictions,  was  greatly 
increased  by  sharp  discussions  in  public  periodicals,  until 
the  general  body  of  the  alumni  seemed  agitated,  almost  as 
a  whole,  with  fears  for  the  prosperity  of  the  college.  It  be¬ 
came  necessary  to  proceed  with  care,  in  the  hope  of  remov¬ 
ing  any  evils  which  might  have  become  operative,  and  of 
restoring  harmony. 

The  committee  first  of  all  decided  that  it  was  best  not  to 
have  a  formal  investigation  in  a  public  shape.  That  this 
intention  became  overruled  was  in  consequence  of  a  mutual 
demand,  which  we  believe  was  prompted  by  a  mutual  mis¬ 
take. 

On  the  29th  day  of  April,  fifteen  of  the  faculty  of  the 
college  and  connected  schools  signed  a  paper  expressing 
the  opinion  that  there  should  be  a  change  in  the  presidency 
of  the  college,  saying  that  this  was  “  in  advance  of  any  in¬ 
vestigation.”  This  communication  appears  to  have  been 
intended  to  avoid  the  unpleasantness  of  a  public  examina¬ 
tion,  in  which  some  bitterness  might  be  developed ; — but  it 
was  addressed  to  the  trustees,  who  could  not  legally  meet 
without  thirty  days’  notice ;  it  made  it  impossible  for  a  com¬ 
plete  investigation  to  be  avoided ;  and  it  at  once  found  its 
way  into  the  public  prints,  and  added  very  material  difficul¬ 
ties  to  the  duty  of  the  committee. 

On  the  9th  day  of  May  the  committee  met  in  Hanover, 
and,  at  the  earnest  request  of  members  of  the  faculty  who 


5 


signed  the  memorial,  protracted  interviews  were  had  with 
individuals,  in  the  interest  of  reconciliation  ;  and  the  entire 
committee  met,  in  the  evening  of  that  day,  the  fifteen  gen¬ 
tlemen  who  had  signed  the  memorial.  The  committee 
warmly  urged  a  settlement  of  all  differences — whatever 
might  be  found — with  the  president,  by  free  consultation 
and  frank  concessions,  if  needed.  Each  one  of  the  fifteen 
expressed  his  own  views.  The  committee  did  not  find  the 
encouragement  they  desired  to  remove  the  differences. 

On  the  following  day  the  committee  met  the  president  by 
appointment,  and  briefly  discussed  the  position  of  affairs. 
The  interview  was  short,  as  the  president  was  unfortunately 
about  to  leave  to  fulfil  an  engagement  to  lecture  at  Ando¬ 
ver  in  Massachusetts,  where  he  was  to  be  engaged  until  the 
latter  part  of  the  following  week.  The  committee  remained 
to  consult,  and  individuals  of  the  committee  had  interviews 
with  various  members  of  the  faculty,  including  persons  of 
opposite  views,  to  obtain  information  of  alleged  grievances, 
or  to  find  whether  any  existed. 

On  the  27th  of  May  a  meeting  was  had  at  Hanover,  for 
which  notices  had  been  issued  that  week.  The  New  York 
alumni  had  been  notified,  but  the  notice  being  late,  they 
were  unable  to  be  present.  A  day  was  spent  in  conference 
with  the  faculty,  who  gave  their  views  as  requested  by  the 
committee,  restating  their  already  expressed  convictions. 
The  committee  adjourned  to  meet  in  Concord,  June  3,  where 
the  president  came  with  counsel,  and  where  one  of  the  New 
York  alumni  also  appeared. 

By  mutual  consent,  all  parties  met  before  the  committee 
at  Hanover,  June  17,  the  president  and  the  New  York  alum¬ 
ni  appearing  by  counsel.  The  committee  sat  two  days,  and 
then,  to  meet  the  wishes  of  counsel,  adjourned  to  meet  July 
12,  at  which  time  the  public  hearing  on  charges  and  specifi¬ 
cations  presented  by  the  New  York  alumni  was  recom¬ 
menced,  and  completed  on  the  next  day. 

The  committee,  in  addition  to  the  above,  has  not  been 


6 


idle,  but  has  considered  its  duty  to  comprehend  more  than 
the  mere  charges  and  specifications  presented  by  the  New 
York  alumni.  It  has  investigated  the  affairs  of  the  college, 
— with  which,  indeed,  its  members  were  quite  thoroughly 
acquainted, — and  has  systematized  its  results,  as  to  the  con¬ 
dition  of  affairs  during  the  administration  of  President  Bart¬ 
lett,  under  the  following  divisions  : 

1.  The  financial  condition  of  the  college. 

2.  The  number  of  students. 

3.  The  tone  of  scholarship  and  instruction. 

4.  The  order,  discipline,  and  tone  of  morals. 

5.  The  relation  of  the  connected  schools.  • 

6.  The  internal  condition  of  the  faculty. 

It  is  perhaps  needless  to  say  that  the  charges,  so-called, 
against  the  president  did  not  affect  his  high  and  long-estab¬ 
lished  personal  reputation,  but  his  theories,  methods,  and 
present  conduct  in  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the 
college. 

1.  The  present  financial  condition  of  the  college  is  the 
most  satisfactory  it  has  known  for  a  long  series  of  years. 
For  the  first  time  in  a  sadly  protracted  period,  the  annual 
revenue  of  the  college  has  this  past  year  met  its  annual 
expenses.  This  is  due  to  all  concerned  in  the  management 
of  college  affairs,  to  the  body  charged  with  its  responsibility, 
to  the  treasurer,  to  the  faculty,  and  to  the  president.  Funds 
have  come  in  from  sources  which  had  begun  to  flow  prior 
to  Dr.  Bartlett’s  administration,  but  of  the  $170,000  added 
to  the  permanent  funds  within  the  past  four  years,  perhaps 
$70,000  came  through  the  personal  applications  of  the  pres¬ 
ident. 

2.  The  number  of  students  in  the  college  proper  is  al¬ 
most  precisely  what  it  was  during  the  last  year  of  the  ad¬ 
ministration  of  President  Smith.  In  the  Chandler  Scien¬ 
tific  Department,  the  number  has  materially  diminished,  the 
number  in  the  Agricultural  College  decidedly  increased. 

3.  The  tone  of  instruction  and  scholarship  has  been 


7 


raised.  The  head  of  the  college,  himself  an  accomplished 
scholar,  has,  we  believe,  stimulated  all  parties.  The  reports 
of  annual  examining  committees  are,  indeed,  abundant  evi¬ 
dence  of  this  satisfactory  condition  of  the  college.  It  ap¬ 
pears,  also,  that  the  president  and  faculty  are  in  accord  in 
planning  for  such  wise  changes  in  the  curriculum  as  shall 
make  the  college  conform  to  the  actual  needs  of  the  present 
day.  But  the  report  of  the  examining  committee  in  1880 
says, — “  It  seems  to  us  that  Dartmouth  college  has  never, 
in  her  long  and  eminent  career  of  usefulness,  been  so  fully 
prepared  to  answer  the  great  ends  of  a  true  American  col¬ 
lege  as  she  is  to-day  ;  and  there  is  everything  to  hope  and 
nothing  to  fear,  as  to  her  prosperity,  so  far  as  this  may  de¬ 
pend  upon  present  management  and  instruction.” 

4.  The  order,  discipline,  and  tone  of  morals  are  satisfac¬ 
tory.  Evidence  satisfied  your  committee  that  there  is  an 
increasing  manliness  of  behavior  on  the  part  of  students, 
less  breaches  of  college  order  than  once,  and  little  occasion 
for  active  discipline.  This  is  due  to  the  president  and  fac¬ 
ulty  combined.  In  the  earlier  part  of  Dr.  Bartlett’s  pres¬ 
idency,  perhaps  he  exhibited  more  sharpness  and  perhaps 
more  severity  than  in  the  last  two  years  ;  certainly  during 
the  past  year  a  genial  discipline  has  been  maintained,  and 
even  in  the  trying  circumstances  of  the  existing  dissensions, 
the  students  have  shown  no  spirit  of  disturbance  or  parti¬ 
sanship. 

The  5th  and  6th  points  cover  the  difficulties  which  have 
troubled  the  college,  being  the  relation  of  the  connected 
schools,  and  the  internal  condition  of  the  faculty ;  and  these 
were  almost  exclusively  the  substance  of  whatever  was  sub¬ 
stantial  in  the  charges  and  specifications  made  by  the  New 
York  alumni.  The  two,  however,  cover  more  than  the  par¬ 
ticular  things  framed  into  those  charges,  and  these  have 
given  your  committee  very  great  uneasiness. 

So  far  as  the  New  York  charges  and  specifications  are 
concerned, — the  hearing  on  those  forming  one  item  in  our 


8 


examination, — the  committee  do  not  find  it  necessary  to  now 
reexamine  them  in  detail,  inasmuch  as  many  of  the  board 
heard  the  whole  quasi-trial,  and  the  board  as  a  whole  was 
present  during  the  last  half  of  that  hearing.  But  it  is  nec¬ 
essary  to  say  that  the  committee  consider  that  while  the 
“  charges  ”  were  serious,  the  specifications  were  inadequate, 
many  of  them  trivial,  nearly  half  of  the  specifications  were 
withdrawn,  and  as  a  whole  unsupported  by  adequate  proof 
of  any  important  error. 

Some  alleged  remarks,  of  a  severe  or  ill-timed  or  careless 
nature,  mainly  in  the  early  part  of  the  administration,  and 
if  not  always  prudent,  yet  sometimes  challenged  by  dis¬ 
gracefully  disorderly  conduct ;  some  omission  or  commis¬ 
sion  in  the  intercourse  of  the  president  and  faculty;  some 
differences  as  to  administration ;  and  some  occasional  real 
mistakes  on  the  part  of  the  president,  which  he  himself 
frankly  admits  ; — such  constitute  the  main  part  of  the  case 
presented  by  the  New  York  alumni  in  the  alleged  particu¬ 
lar  facts.  The  committee  do  not  think  that  the  formal 
investigation  thus  had  disclosed  any  results  which  sustain, 
so  far  as  acts  and  words  go,  a  claim  that  there  should  be  a 
change  of  office.  Indeed,  the  New  York  alumni  do  not  ask 
such  change,  but  only  that  “  errors  of  management,  if  there 
are  any,  may  be  corrected  by  the  adoption  of  a  new  pol¬ 
icy,  or  that  the  present  executive  may  be  vindicated  and 
strengthened.” 

The  committee  is  aware,  however,  that  the  life  of  any 
administration  cannot  be  framed  into  technical  charges  and 
specifications  capable  of  precise  setting  forth  and  of  tan¬ 
gible  proof.  The  evident  drift  of  events,  the  character  of 
administration,  may  be  apparent,  and  yet  it  be  impossible 
to  formulate  for  legal  investigation.  The  acquaintance  of 
your  committee  with  the  course  of  events  must  be  allowed 
to  be  of  use  in  connection  with  present  investigations. 

The  memorial  of  members  of  the  faculty  was  signed 
by  all  the  faculty  of  the  Agricultural  College  and  of  the 


9 


Chandler  Scientific  Department,  and  by  one  of  the  medical 
professors.  As  to  the  Agricultural  College,  it  is  under  a 
distinct  board,  to  which  our  board  contributes  four  out  of 
its  nine  members,  a  board  which  has  a  president  of  its  own, 
and  President  Bartlett  is  simply  president  of  its  faculty. 
It  is  testified  to,  by  its  own  faculty,  that  he  has  given  that 
college  his  best  help,  and  that  no  substantial  complaint 
whatever  exists  against  him  by  any  of  its  officials. 

The  medical  school  is  practically  entirely  distinct  from 
the  college,  and  the  president’s  relations  thereto  have  al¬ 
ways  been  cordial. 

The  professor  in  charge  of  the  Thayer  School  testifies 
warmly  to  the  cooperation  and  kindness  of  the  president. 
The  remaining  school,  viz.,  the  Chandler  Scientific  Depart¬ 
ment,  is  the  seat  of  trouble.  An  alienation  has  grown  up 
which  your  committee  believes  to  be  the  root  of  the  diffi¬ 
culties  in  the  other  parts  of  the  college.  The  facts  were 
these : 

I.  The  Chandler  Scientific  Department  had,  perhaps  un¬ 
wittingly,  come  into  a  position  of  partial  independence.  It 
was  found,  some  time  since,  by  examination  of  the  annual 
catalogues,  that  changes  in  the  curriculum,  mainly  before 
the  membership  of  almost  all  of  the  present  board  of  trus¬ 
tees,  had  been  introduced,  as  well  as  changes  in  the  terms 
of  admission,  none  of  which  had  been  authorized  by  this 
board  (whose  sanction  was  indispensable)  since  the  year 
1857.  These  changes,  while  not  very  great,  seemed  to  lack 
authority.  The  immediate  administration  also  appeared  to 
be  not  in  entire  harmony  with  the  fact  of  the  president’s 
headship.  The  issuing  of  its  annual  circular,  with  the 
president’s  name  affixed,  as  under  his  predecessor,  but  with¬ 
out  his  knowledge,  and  with  sentiments  as  to  education  to 
which  he  could  not  assent,  was  unfortunate.  In  none  of 
these  things  does  the  committee  attach  any  blame  to  the 
faculty  of  that  school.  An  inadvertence  in  one  case,  and 
perhaps  some  now  unknown  approval  in  the  others,  may 


10 


explain  these  things,  while  the  zeal  and  devotion  to  duty  of 
the  professors  of  the  Chandler  Scientific  Department  are 
to  be  warmly  acknowledged. 

The  president’s  acknowledged  and  avowed  views  of  the 
superiority  of  a  classical  education  created  some  fears  on 
the  part  of  the  C.  S.  D.,  and  the  necessity  of  making  some 
change  in  that  department  was  attributed  to  the  president’s 
views  of  education.  It  is  quite  probable  that  his  attitude 
and  influence  were  affected  by  these  views,  and  that  the 
C.  S.  D.  would  naturally  be  jealously  careful  of  its  interest. 
Certainly  a  breach  began,  which  has  widened  into  personal 
alienations,  which  we  will  refer  to  further  on. 

But  the  trustees  are  the  governing  body  of  Dartmouth 
college.  No  act  which  has  taken  effect  has  done  so  except 
upon  the  deliberate,  well  considered,  and  ordinarily  unan¬ 
imous  vote  of  the  board.  The  board  has  been  responsible, 
and  not  under  any  influence  of  the  president,  for  any  changes 
in  the  C.  S.  D.  It  has  taken  no  step  involving  legal  ques¬ 
tions  except  upon  the  unanimous  recommendation  of  the 
several  present  or  past  judges  of  supreme  courts,  with  whose 
membership  the  board  is  favored ;  nor  then  until  after  spe¬ 
cial  reference  to  such  persons  as  a  special  committee,  and 
on  their  report.  In  fact,  no  great  changes  have  been  made; 
and  in  all,  the  board  has  steadily  and  patiently  fulfilled  the 
duty  laid  upon  it  by  the  sacred  trust  committed  to  it  by  past 
benefactors.  The  board,  and  not  the  president,  must  assume, 
and  doubtless  will  assume,  the  whole  responsibility,  and  will 
fearlessly  assert  its  adherence  to  its  responsibilities.  The 
board  cherishes  that  department  precisely  as  it  does  the 
other  trusts  committed  to  it. 

At  the  same  time,  the  attitude  of  the  president  should 
and  must  be  in  harmony  with  the  policy  of  the  board. 
There  must  be  no  suspicions  of  unfriendliness,  such  as 
have  magnified  trifles,  created  morbid  distrust,  and  pro¬ 
voked  great  difficulties. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the  employment  or  non- 


1 1 


employment  of  college  professors  as  teachers  in  the  C.  S. 
D.,  they  receiving  extra  compensation  for  their  sole  benefit, 
at  a  much  less  cost  than  would  be  natural,  has  been  a  source 
of  some  trouble,  (i)  Overworked  professors  have  occa¬ 
sionally  been  employed.  (2)  In  one  case  a  professor  once 
declined  to  do  some  work  in  the  college,  alleging  his  em¬ 
ployment  (for  his  own  remuneration)  in  the  C.  S.  D.  (3) 
The  board  has  felt  that  a  professor  doing  ordinary  duty  in 
both  departments  should  be  paid  proportionately  by  each  ; 
while  until  recently  the  general  expenses  even  of  the  whole 
institution  have  not  been  taxed  to  the  C.  S.  D.,  but  it  has 
been  freed  from  its  own  share,  whife  its  funds  have  been 
steadily  increasing  and  the  college  steadily  having  a  deficit. 
All  these  things  are  being  gradually  settled,  and  adjust¬ 
ments  made  ;  but  in  any  case,  the  board  and  not  the  presi¬ 
dent  is  the  conscious  and  acknowledged  author  of  changes 
in  these  affairs. 

There  can  be  no  degradation  of  the  C.  S.  D.  The  board 
has  put  that  determination  on  record.  The  school  will  be 
maintained  in  a  position  which  its  most  earnest  friends  can¬ 
not  complain  of,  and  those  friends  must  put  confidence  in 
the  board  of  trust,  to  which  the  founder  of  the  school  com¬ 
mitted  his  benefactions,  subject  to  the  approval  of  visitors 
of  his  own  selection,  and  over  whose  appointment  this 
board  has  no  control. 

The  committee  finds  the  most  serious  difficulty  in  the 
relations  of  the  president  and  faculty.  It  finds,  as  by  the 
memorial  addressed  to  the  trustees,  a  majority  of  the  whole 
number  (if  we  include  the  several  schools)  apparently  dis¬ 
contented  with  the  president’s  administration.  They  ac¬ 
knowledge  his  eminent  ability,  his  great  scholarship,  his 
constant  industry,  and  his  executive  force ;  and  most  of  the 
faculty  are  on  terms  of  personal  friendship  with  him,  and 
there  seems  to  be  entire  unity  on  the  course  of  study  in 
the  college.  These  professors  are  out  of  harmony  with 
him  in  their  official  intercourse,  and  are  positive  in  their 


12 


convictions.  It  is  unfortunate  when  the  long-tried  and 
faithful  servants  of  the  college,  who  stand  high  in  the  es¬ 
timation  of  the  public  and  warmly  in  the  hearts  of  our 
graduates,  are  thus  divided. 

The  committee  believes  that  the  division  has  mainly 
grown  from  the  difficulties  in  the  Chandler  Scientific  De¬ 
partment.  The  alienation  has  spread  from  that,  while  the 
president’s  natural  energy  and  force  of  will  have,  perhaps, 
made  him  somewhat  inflexible.  His  characteristics  and  opin¬ 
ions,  being  in  some  respects  different  from  those  of  his 
eminent  predecessor,  would  naturally  cause  some  friction  in 
the  change  from  one  administration  to  another.  Extreme 
sensitiveness  has  been  developed  on  the  one  side,  and  per¬ 
haps  inattention  to  the  fact  of  that  sensitiveness  has  existed 
on  the  other.  Both  of  these  misfortunes  must  be  cured,  if 
cured,  by  the  exercise  of  mutual  respect  and  consideration. 
The  president  has  doubtless,  as  he  says,  learned  by  expe¬ 
rience  ;  and  doubtless  others  have.  The  president  and 
faculty  of  Dartmouth  college  stand  too  far  above  reproach 
not  to  be  able  to  meet  on  a  common  plane  of  mutual 
respect.  Their  distinctive  places  as  parts  of  a  harmonious 
administration  are  well  defined,  and  while  respective  rights, 
powers,  and  duties  need  not  be  sharply  outlined,  but  may 
blend  into  each  other,  yet  each  will  doubtless  substantially 
understand  his  own  appropriate  work. 

The  recent  election  of  a  professor  of  Greek,  occurring 
since  the  preparation  of  the  New  York  memorial,  has 
seemed  to  occasion  trouble.  It  is  sufficient  to  say,  that 
whatever  part  the  president  may  have  taken  in  that  elec¬ 
tion,  it  is  now  past.  The  trustees  are  responsible  for  their 
own  acts.  While  glad  to  obtain  all  possible  information, 
they  alone  are  responsible,  and  cannot,  even  in  spirit,  dele¬ 
gate  their  trust  to  any  other  parties.  The  members  of  the 
board,  individually  members  of  different  professions  in  life, 
of  different  political  parties,  and  of  different  denominations 
in  religion,  as  trustees  have  but  one  work,  viz.,  to  fulfil 


13 


sacredly  the  trust  committed  to  them  by  a  charter  in  whose 
faith  many  generous  men  and  women  have  left  their  gifts 
to  the  cause  of  a  high  and  wise  education.  The  trustees 
must  do  their  own  duty  fearlessly.  The  active  interest  of 
the  board,  growing  more  minute  in  its  work  every  year,  in 
every  department  and  part  of  the  college,  is  evidence  that 
the  alumni  may  safely  give  their  confidence  to  its  adminis¬ 
tration,  their  gifts  to  its  care,  their  sons  to  its  shelter.  The 
board  will  assume  all  its  own  responsibilities,  and  all  under 
its  care  must  conform  to  its  decisions. 

With  the  grounds  of  dissatisfaction  thus  explained,  and 
with  the  president  and  faculty  aware  of  the  real  differences 
between  them,  there  may  be  more  hope  of  a  reconciliation 
between  these  parties.  To  this  the  board  should  exhort  all 
parties.  If  it  fail,  the  board  will  be  in  a  condition  to  delib¬ 
erate  and  act  with  wisdom  and  decision.  If  it  succeed, ,  the 
great  reputation  of  the  college  will  go  on  brightening  under 
the  care  of  a  president  and  faculty  of  whose  many  excellen¬ 
ces  any  college  might  well  be  proud. 

We  recommend  the  board  to  adopt  the  following  resolu¬ 
tions  : 

Resolved ,  i.  In  answer  to  the  memorial  from  the  alumni 
in  New  York,  whose  interest  in  their  alma  mater  we  grate¬ 
fully  acknowledge,  and  whose  success  has  added  so  much 
to  the  reputation  of  the  college,  and  whose  cooperation  with 
that  of  all  the  other  alumni  is  so  needful,  the  board  certi¬ 
fies  that  it  patiently  examined  into  the  “disquieting  rumors” 
referred  to  in  their  memorial,  and  investigated  thoroughly 
the  state  of  affairs,  and,  while  finding  some  “  errors  of  man¬ 
agement,”  such  as  however  are  natural  in  connection  with 
decided  abilities,  and  errors  not  confined  to  any  one  person, 
have  endeavored  to  correct  all  such  errors  in  the  best  pos¬ 
sible  manner. 

2.  The  board  assures  those  and  other  alumni  that  the 
affairs  of  the  college  are  in  hands  at  least  careful  and  watch¬ 
ful,  and  its  immediate  care  is  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  are 


14 


called  upon  to  administer  its  affairs  to  the  best  of  their 
ability  and  with  a  conscientious  devotion  to  every  trust  of 
every  kind. 

3.  The  board  will  await  the  results  of  its  efforts  for  the 
harmony  of  the  college,  the  adjustment  of  all  its  parts,  the 
allotment  of  respective  duties,  and  the  procuring  a  kind, 
forbearing,  and  helpful  spirit  on  all  sides,  with  confidence 
that  will  not  at  present  allow  the  possibility  of  failure,  and 
with  a  determination  to  secure  such  results  in  any  event. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

GEO.  W.  NESMITH, 

E.  SPALDING, 

ALONZO  H.  QUINT, 

Committee . 

Concord,  July  28,  1881. 


To  the  Trustees  of  Dartmouth  College: 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Dart¬ 
mouth  college,  held  commencement  week,  1881,  a  commit¬ 
tee  of  the  alumni  of  the  Chandler  Scientific  Department, 
consisting  of  Benj.  A.  Kimball,  Esq.,  Col.  J.  E.  Pecker,  and 
Wm.  M.  Chase,  Esq.,  presented  memorials  signed  by  over 
one  hundred  of  the  alumni  of  that  department,  expressing 
alarm  upon  the  agitation  of  the  question  touching  the  legal 
existence  of  the  scientific  department,  deploring  the  action 
of  the  “  board  in  lowering  the  standard  of  admission,”  inti¬ 
mating  a  narrowness  of  interpretation  of  Mr.  Chandler’s 
will  on  the  part  of  the  board,  and  a  disposition  to  degrade 
this  department,  which  tended  to  “alienate  from  the  col¬ 
lege  the  active  interest  of  a  large  proportion  of  the  gradu¬ 
ates  of  this  and  of  the  academic  department,”  and  asking 
that  the  former  standard  of  admission  be  restored. 

This  committee  asked  to  be  heard  upon  the  subject-mat¬ 
ter  of  these  memorials.  The  board  thereupon  referred  the 
same  to  the  undersigned  as  a  committee  of  the  board.  This 


i5 


committee  gave  notice  to  the  committee  of  the  memorialists 
that  they  would  hear  them  at  Hanover  on  the  nth  of  July, 
at  which  time  and  place  Mr.  Chase  appeared  and  was 
heard.  Mr.  Chase  premised  his  remarks  by  saying  that 
upon  investigation  he  had  become  satisfied  that  he  and  the 
other  memorialists  had  acted  upon  misapprehension  of  facts 
as  to  the  attitude  and  action  of  the  board  in  respect  to  the 
scientific  department,  and  that  his  remarks  would  be  direct¬ 
ed  to  the  question  as  to  what  studies  might  be  required  for 
admission  to  that  department,  and  as  to  what  would  be  best 
to  require. 

If  the  misapprehension  alluded  to  was  not  so  widespread, 
we  should  very  briefly  express  the  result  of  our  views  upon 
the  points  presented  ;  but  in  order  that  this  matter  may  be 
set  at  rest,  as  we  trust  permanently,  we  deem  it  our  duty  to 
briefly  state  the  facts  as  to  the  comparatively  recent  action 
of  the  board,  about  which  complaint  is  made  or  intimated 
in  the  memorials. 

In  1878  the  trustees  learned  that  the  requirements  for 
admission  to  the  scientific  department,  and  the  course  of 
study  pursued  in  the  department,  as  the  same  was  published 
in  the  college  catalogue,  were  materially  different  from  what 
had  ever  been  prescribed  by  the  trustees  so  far  as  their  rec¬ 
ords  showed.  It  does  not  appear  that  these  changes  were 
ever  expressly  authorized  by  the  board.  Neither  does  it 
very  clearly  appear  just  how  they  happened  to  be  made,  and 
we  have  not  deemed  it  material  to  inquire  particularly  into 
this  subject. 

The  discovery  of  these  changes  led  to  action  upon  the 
part  of  the  board  with  a  view  to  a  properly  authorized  pro¬ 
vision  as  to  the  requirements  for  admission  and  as  to  the 
curriculum.  It  was  found  that  the  trustees’  records  showed 
that  the  last  action  of  the  board  as  to  terms  of  admission 
was  in  1857.  Since  then  there  had  been  added,  according 
to  the  catalogue,  but  without  apparent  authority,  other 
requirements,  and  various  changes  had  been  made  in  the 


i6 


curriculum,  some  things  having  been  dropped  out  which 
Mr.  Chandler’s  will  in  terms  required  should  be  taught,  and 
too  much  prominence  given  to  some  of  the  branches  taught. 

The  will,  after  prescribing  generally  what  branches  the 
donor  designed  to  be  taught,  contains  a  provision  as  follows : 
“No  other  or  higher  preparatory  studies  are  to  be  required, 
in  order  to  enter  said  department  or  schools,  than  are  pur¬ 
sued  in  the  common  schools  of  New  England.”  It  seemed 
plain  to  the  trustees,  that  while  they  were  not  compelled  to 
require  examination  on  all  the  studies  taught  or  that  under 
the  law  could  be  taught  in  the  common  schools  of  New  Eng¬ 
land,  they  could  not  require  for  admission  any  other  or  addi¬ 
tional  preparations  than  could  lawfully  be  obtained  in  those 
schools.  Whether  the  requirements  of  1857  were  as  high 
as  was  then  thought  could  be  legally  made,  we  are  not  in¬ 
formed  ; — however  that  was,  the  trustees  decided,  at  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  board  in  1880,  after  careful  consid¬ 
eration,  that  the  requirements  of  1857  could  be  advanced 
without  violating  the  terms  of  the  will,  or  without  injury  to 
the  school  ;  also,  that  the  curriculum  could  be  materially 
improved.  After  full  discussion  and  agreement  as  to  the 
general  range  of  alteration  advisable  to  be  made  in  these 
respects,  the  board  appointed  a  committee  to  confer  with 
Prof.  Ruggles  of  the  scientific  department,  and  with  him 
make  the  changes,  and  they  were  made  accordingly. 

The  terms  of  admission,  as  established  in  1857,  did  not 
require  preparation  in  algebra  or  geometry.  As  published 
in  the  catalogue  of  i879~’8o,  Olney’s  Complete  School  Al¬ 
gebra  and  plane  geometry,  or  their  equivalents,  were  re¬ 
quired.  No  showing  was  made  to  the  board  whether  math¬ 
ematics  was  taught  to  this  extent  in  the  common  schools  of 
New  England,  and  the  board  had  the  impression  that  they 
were  not ;  and  then  thought  that  whether  taught  or  not  it 
would  not  be  for  the  best  interests  of  the  school  to  reject 
an  applicant  who  had  not  gone  to  this  extent  in  mathemat¬ 
ics,  but  that,  if  he  had  partially  mastered  algebra,  and  was 


fitted  in  other  studies,  he  had  better  be  received.  The 
committee,  therefore,  in  making  a  revision  of  the  terms  of 
admission  and  of  the  curriculum,  under  the  instructions  of 
the  board,  required  algebra  only  through  simple  equations, 
but  followed  it  with  this  remark  in  the  catalogue :  “  A  pre¬ 
vious  study  of  plane  geometry  is  of  great  advantage,  and  is 
earnestly  recommended,  but  is  not  required.” 

Although  the  terms  of  admission  were  lowered  to  this 
extent  in  mathematics  from  what  they  had  been  as  pub¬ 
lished  in  the  catalogue  for  a  few  years,  the  range  of  mathe¬ 
matical  study  was  not  lowered  in  the  revision  of  the  curric¬ 
ulum,  but  was  even  enlarged,  and,  as  we  think,  materially 
improved.  There  was  no  lowering  at  the  other  end  of  the 
course.  The  student  simply  had  so  much  more  work  to  do 
after  entering  the  school,  if  he  had  not  complied  with  the 
recommendation  and  gone  over  the  ground  before.  The 
trustees  also,  in  1880,  created  a  professorship  of  theoretical 
and  applied  mechanics,  and  appointed  John  V.  Hazen  such 
professor  and  instructor  in  civil  engineering  and  graphics. 

As  rumors  were  then  afloat  to  the  effect  that  the  board, 
or  some  of  its  members,  were  in  favor  of  a  policy  that  would 
degrade  this  department,  and  which  were  entirely  without 
foundation,  they  took  occasion  to  give  expression  of  their 
views  and  action  in  a  resolution.  The  board  said  in  the 
resolution,  embodying  the  result  of  their  views  as  to  the 
curriculum,  as  follows :  “  That  we  are  opposed  to  any 
change  in  the  curriculum  in  the  Chandler  Scientific  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Dartmouth  college  that  shall  in  any  way  tend  to 
debase  or  degrade  the  same  ;  that  we  believe  the  standard 
and  usefulness  of  this  department  cannot  only  be  maintained 
but  improved  by  a  rearrangement  and  modification  of  the 
curriculum  in  some  respects  ;  ”  and  then  provides  how  the 
same  shall  be  done,  as  before  stated  in  substance. 

In  view  of  the  misapprehension  that  has  continued  to  the 
present  time,  notwithstanding  this  action  of  the  board,  and 
of  reports  circulated  as  to  the  attitude  of  the  president  in  the 


i8 


premises,  it  seems  proper  to  say  that  this  action  throughout 
was  adopted  with  the  concurrent  approval  of  every  member 
of  the  board  present  at  the  meetings,  including  the  president 
of  the  college. 

Within  the  limitations  of  the  will  before  noticed,  the 
terms  of  admission  may  be  varied  from  time  to  time.  The 
decision  of  the  board  in  1880  was  made  with  this  view,  and 
as  the  result  of  their  best  judgment  then,  and  with  an  ex¬ 
pectation  of  alteration  in  new  light  that  might  appear. 

The  undersigned  are  of  the  opinion,  upon  the  showing 
now  made,  that  algebra  to  equations  of  the  second  degree, 
and  plane  geometry,  may  be  required  in  the  terms  of  admis¬ 
sion  without  violating  the  will  of  Mr.  Chandler,  and  that  in 
view  of  all  the  circumstances  that  appeared  before  us,  not 
necessary  to  be  alluded  to,  the  experiment  better  be  tried, 
and  that  physiology  to  a  reasonable  extent  be  added  to  the 
requirements  for  admission,  and  that  the  limitation  of  four¬ 
teen  years  of  age  be  stricken  out. 

The  suggestion  has  been  made  that  the  terms  of  admis¬ 
sion  and  the  curriculum  of  the  scientific  department  have 
been  changed  from  time  to  time  by  the  faculty  of  that  de¬ 
partment  without  disapproval  of  the  board,  if  not  with  their 
express  and  recorded  approval,  and  that  this  would  be  the 
better  way  for  the  trustees  to  administer  the  several  de¬ 
partments  of  the  college  in  respect  to  these  matters. 

It  is  due  to  Mr.  Chase  to  say  that  he  makes  no  such  claim, 
but  disapproves  of  any  such  method  of  administration  ;  and 
we  think  it  is  due  to  the  public  that  they  be  informed  that 
the  trustees  give  no  countenance  to  such  a  course,  but,  as 
the  responsibility  and  duty  are  reposed  in  them,  they,  act¬ 
ing  upon  the  best  information  attainable  from  all  sources, 
should  as  a  board  perform  this  duty. 

GEO.  W.  NESMITH, 

W.  G.  VEAZEY, 

C.  W.  STANLEY, 

Committee. 


3  0112 


05624073 


